The province said in a press release Thursday it does not plan to ban natural gas, but instead plans to invest up to $100 million in cap and trade proceeds over four years to support the introduction of renewable natural gas.
Earlier this month the Globe and Mail reported it had gotten a hold of Ontario's $7-billion climate change plan.
The Globe and Mail reported the plan would require all new homes to be heated with electricity or geothermal systems by 2030, effectively banning natural gas heating for new builds.
“Natural gas, increasingly sourced from cleaner supplies, will continue to play a critical role in Ontario’s energy supply mix for transportation and heating buildings,” the provincial government said in a press release.
“Methane that is released from sources such as landfills, municipal green bin collection, agricultural residues, livestock manure, food and beverage manufacturing waste, sewage treatment plants and forestry waste can be recovered, cleaned and can be directly substituted for conventional natural gas.”
The province added it has committed to creating a $200 million Natural Gas Access Loan and a $30 million Natural Gas Economic Development Grant to help more communities that previously lacked the necessary infrastructure to switch to a cheaper, cleaner fuel source that will help residential and industry consumers reduce their energy bill.
The climate change action plan will be officially released this spring, the provincial government said.
